Why are We Here?
by PetchricorXConstellation
Summary: Wash and his team have joined the new Project Freelancer in the hopes of helping in the war with the newly regrouped Covenant, but Wash isn't sure how much longer he can go on. And he asks a very old, well-known question... *rated T for bloody battle scars*


**This was an original story thing but I changed the names and stuff and here it is. I wanted to use Caboose but Tucker worked better because Caboose is a little to absent minded for this story. Anyway, enjoy**

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Wash stood in front of the large window that shown out into space, the stars shimmering and shiny as their energy fluxed and bended. Every so often he would stand and look at the stars, it helped him think when his mind was foggy, which was often. He looked down at the dog tags hanging around his neck. His name and rank was held on them. The leader of the new Freelancer Project had found him and his new team as perfect for the job and had hired them right off the bat, he had gotten new dog tags as did the others.

He couldn't really remember back before he joined the original Freelancer Project, all he could remember was working with his team and trying to stop the enemy from doing whatever it was they had been doing at the time. Before that there wasn't really much to remember, hardly anything at all. Washington looked back up at the stars before him. There was a new war going on now, apparently some of the Covenant had banded back together and the humans were back at war with them, though some Elites were on their side. Of course them having Forerunner artifacts to back them up wasn't helping.

He leaned up against the thick piece of metal that held the window together and held his hands behind his back, legs crossing as well. He had gotten a habit of getting lost in thought, and he didn't usually think about what was really important, but it helped to clear his mind every once and a while. When he and the others had joined the new Freelancer Project they were all unsure, but it proved to be worth it.

He heard footsteps and someone came to stand by him. Wash glanced over to see Tucker with his hands folded behind his back as he stared into space with him. Wash glanced back at the stars and thought to himself again.

Sometimes he wondered why they even did this anymore, it was quite obvious they were losing this war and there was nothing they could do. And why was he here, as a person? Did he even have a purpose? All he had done was screw everything up and betray the only people who had ever been nice to him.

"Hey," Wash spoke.

"Yeah?" Tucker didn't turn to look at him as he responded.

"Do you ever wonder why we're here?" Wash looked over at Tucker as he thought the question over for a very long time before he decided to answer.

"Like, why are we part of the Project, or why do we exist?" Tucker looked back at Wash, who looked away as he thought this over a long moment, then sighed.

"You know what?" Wash glanced back up at him and Tucker finally realized how much he had been through, the terrible things he had seen, the deaths, the pain, and teammates he had seen killed. He saw how risking your life for a mission that seemed now to be in vain could take its toil on someone. "I don't know, I really don't." Wash looked away and gave another sigh, glancing back up as a hand settled on his shoulder.

"Hey," Tucker said with a tiny smile. "Don't you worry, we'll get through this just like we always do. I know it." Wash heaved a heavy sigh and looked away again. Tucker's smile disappeared as he saw how tired Wash was, mentally and physically tired. The two stood in silence and Tucker took his hand away from Washington's shoulder. Soon Wash glanced back up at Tucker.

"Tucker," Wash said slowly, getting Tucker to look over. He was shocked at Wash's expression. It was still filled with tiredness, but now worry had entered it. The type of worry that someone who was about to leap off a building might have. "If for some reason I don't make it after the next mission," he looked away, back at the glass. "Take over for me, ok? Don't let Simmons or Sarge do it, they'll just screw it up. Caboose isn't strong enough and Grif's to unstable."

"What are you talking about? Of course you'll make it, Wash, you always have! You've always gotten all of us out, time and time again," Tucker told him, his voice speeding up and hitting a pitch he never thought he could hit. Wash slowly looked back at Tucker, heaving a heavy sigh and giving his head a light shake.

"This isn't a fairytale, Tucker," Wash said seriously, but his tone was still low and tired. "People die and the mission goes on without them. I'm old, Tucker. Fourty-three years old, to be exact. I'm the only one in this base that remembers what happened to them, to me, to the Alpha. There has to be a point where you realize that heroes die, all heroes have their time."

"Wash, what happened? What happened to you during the Original Project?" Wash didn't answer, just looked away. "You're never going to tell anyone, are you?" Wash shook her head and Tucker sighed. "Can you at least tell me what the guy did to you when he had us captured?" Wash didn't move for a long time as he thought this over, soon backing up. "Wash?" Tucker had never remembered a time when Wash had taken his jacket off, but he finally did and when he had he turned around.

Tucker covered his mouth from the yelp that wanted to work itself up. All along Wash's back were scars, long and thick. A few were still bleeding from places while the rest were closed up with dried blood. The blood shown through his shirt and he visibly winced as Tucker put his hand against his back. Wash grabbed his jacket and swung it over his shoulders before walking away.

"Do yourself a favor, Lavernius," Wash said, his tone sounding almost fatherly. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to." Wash then just walked away, leaving the other agent to shudder from the image now locked in his brain. He turned to look at the star room as he thought, wondering about the mission they were heading off to complete in the morning. He heaved a heavy sigh in sadness.

"What happened to you, David...?"

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**And that's a wrap.  
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**Thanks for reading, please review, and have a bow chicka bow wow day!  
Perla: And may it be the best day ever, of all time!**


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